About the Play:

HARD TO FIND BOOK, only a very limited number of copies are still available.

The Aberhart Summer is a full-length murder-mystery drama by Conni Massing, adapted from the novel of the same name by Bruce Allen Powe. A murder mystery set Edmonton, against the backdrop of the rise of a new political party poised to sweep across Depression Alberta in 1935. The Aberhart Summer is a mystery, a comedy, and a gripping look at Alberta history.

The Aberhart Summer is a dark "coming of age" story where desperation, secrets, and tragedy affect the lives of the people in an Edmonton neighbourhood during the Depression. It is the summer of 1935: Charismatic, evangelical Social Credit leader William "Bible Bill" Aberhart campaigns on a promise of relief for depression-weary farmers, World War II is on the horizon, and 15-year-old Doug Sayers' best friend Babe has just been found hanging in a barn. Everyone including Babe's politically ambitious brother Albert accepts the verdict of suicide but Doug knows there's more to the story. He spends the summer investigating his friend's death, ultimately uncovering the truth about himself and the tragic underbelly of his city neighbourhood.

The Aberhart Summer premiered in 1994 at the Great West Theatre during the PlayRites Festival of new Canadian plays in Fort Macleod, Alberta and won the Betty Mitchell Outstanding New Play Award. Since then the play has been produced at professional theatres across Canada.

Cast: 3 female, 7 male

What people say:

"Massing's marvellous play is at once a gripping Alberta history lesson, a sweetly nostalgic comedy and a cracking-good murder mystery, all rolled up into one big, bright ball of theatrical energy ... one of the most exhilarating and satisfying plays this festival has ever produced." — Calgary Herald

"At its best, Aberhart Summer is a vivid and unsentimental depiction of small-town Canadian life in the 1930s, and the effect is hauntingly familiar and oddly foreign at the same time... It was the hit of the [PlayRites '99] festival." — American Theatre

"Haunting, witty and compelling, Conni Massing's adaptation of Bruce Allen Powes' novel was the crème de la crème of PlayRites '99...." — Calgary Sun

About the Playwright:

Conni Massing is an award-winning Canadian writer working in theatre, film, and television. She has worked as a series story editor and writer on several television series. In addition to her work as a script consultant she has taught playwriting and screenwriting for a variety of institutions including: the University of Alberta, FAVA, Alberta Playwrights Network and Red Deer College.